College of Health
College Leadership:
Elizabeth A. Dolan, Interim Dean
Erica Hoelscher, Associate Dean for Faculty and Staff
Won Choi, Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Education
Micheal Gusmano, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs
Contact information:
Health | Science | Technology Building
College of Health Administrative Suite #155
124 East Morton Street
610.758.1800 | incoh@lehigh.edu
website: health.lehigh.edu
social: LehighUhealth
The College of Health is Lehigh University’s fifth and newest college. The mission of the College of Health is to understand, preserve and improve the health and well-being of populations, communities, and individuals through excellence and innovation in education, research, and service. Through the lens of social justice, the College cultivates highly skilled and diverse scientists and leaders in health through novel and interdisciplinary coursework, experiential learning, and integrated career development.
Through the department of community and population health, the college offers degree programs and the undergraduate and graduate level. Our research focuses on interdisciplinary topics that are critical to community and population health. In our Community and Population Health research area, we seek to improve the health of underserved populations through data-driven prevention and intervention based on social, biological, psychological, commercial, and other determinants of health. Our Health Innovation & Technology research aims to develop diagnostics, devices, and data analytics to improve health outcomes, leveraging Lehigh’s traditional technology strengths.
Undergraduate
College of Health programs prepare students for a myriad of careers in the healthcare field, broadly defined. Students receive an applied education through a multi-disciplinary approach, emphasizing data science and methodology. The college offers BA and BS degrees and major and minor programs that integrate ethics, cultural understanding, and social justice. Hands-on, experiential learning is central to a College of Health degree. Regardless of their major, all students can engage in health-related research projects, field experiences, internships, study abroad programs, or other types of experiential learning. With this experiential and holistic approach to health, students understand how health fits into the larger world around us—it isn’t just about healthcare, but accessibility, community involvement, and much more.
Upon completing any bachelor’s degree in the College of Health, students will…
- Demonstrate mastery of the determinants of health from a holistic and interdisciplinary perspective.
- Demonstrate proficiency in health literacy.
- Analyze the ethical complexities of health research and health decision-making.
- Demonstrate proficiency in writing and critical reading skills.
- Demonstrate proficiency in the methods appropriate for their field of study.
- Apply course concepts to the real-world context to improve the health of communities and populations.
- Critically evaluate theoretical frameworks for understanding health issues through an interdisciplinary and equity-focused lens.
- Demonstrate an understanding of the importance of sustainability as it relates to health.
To meet the above learning objectives, all students in the College of Health must fulfill the following college's distribution requirements. Students will complete 10 classes of distribution requirements totaling 32-37 credits. Many of these classes will be available through the individual majors in the college. It is expected that there will be some overlap between distribution requirements and major requirements, specifically in the upper-level scientific writing classes and determinants of health classes. For additional information about any of our undergraduate programs, visit our website or email us at cohadvising@lehigh.edu.
| First Year Seminar | (1 class, 3-4 credits) | Varies by semester |
| Scientific Writing | (4 classes, 12-14 credits) | ENGL 001 Critical Reading and Composition, ENGL 002 Research and Argument, (2) upper-level classes from list of approved classes |
| Determinants of Health | (2 classes, 8 credits) | CGH 103 Biological & Environmental Determinants of Health, CGH 104 Sociocultural & Political Determinants of Health, CGH 105 Commercial Determinants of Health |
| Bioethics | (1 class, 3-4 credits) | POPH 003 Justice, Equity, and Ethics in Population Health or other approved class |
| Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion | (1 class, 3-4 credits) | chosen from a list of approved classes |
| Sustainability | (1 class, 3-4 credits) | chosen from a list of approved classes |
MAJOR AND MINORS
| MAJORS | MINORS |
| BS Population Health | Population Health |
| BA Community & Global Health | Community Health |
| Global Health | |
| Indigenous Peoples Health | |
| Maternal & Child Health | |
| Health Policy & Politics | |
| Biostatistics |
Graduate PROGRAMS
It is more important now than ever to understand, preserve and improve the health and well-being of populations and communities locally, nationally, and globally -- this is at the heart of the mission of Lehigh University’s College of Health. The College of Health offers a variety of exceptional graduate education programs that prepare students to investigate and address the multiple determinants of health through novel and innovative health research, practice, and policy. For more information, contact cohgrad@lehigh.edu.
| PHD Population Health | Master of Population Health (MS) |
| Master of Public Health (MPH) | 4+1 Accelerated Master of Public Health (MPH) |
| MBA/MPH (with the College of Business) | 4+1 Accelerated Master of Population Health (MS) |
| Graduate Certificate in Population Health | Graduate Certificate Global Health |
| 4+1 Master of Engineering in Healthcare Systems Engineering (with the P.C. Rossin College of Engineering and Applied Science) | Flex MBA with Healthcare Management Concentration (with the College of Business) |
A PATH TO MEDICAL, DENTAL, OR VETERINARY SCHOOL
Pre-health students are those students interested in pursuing graduate-level study in a health field such as allopathic (M.D.) or osteopathic (D.O.) medicine, dentistry, or veterinary medicine. Because there are no “pre-med” or “pre-dental” majors at Lehigh, pre-health students can major in any area, as long as they also complete the prerequisite coursework needed for their intended medical, dental, or other professional programs. The BA and BS majors afford students the opportunity to complete the suggested coursework that prepares students for the MCAT exam.
CAREERS
Career pathways for students studying in the College of Health are abundant and wide-ranging and include careers in the private sector, nonprofit organizations, including healthcare-related organizations, and local, state, federal and international governmental institutions. They may work in fields including epidemiology, medicine, data science, biostatistics, public health, community health, global health, health economics, health policy, health promotion, health research, and health technology and innovation.
RESEARCH Centers and Institutes
Lehigh’s College of Health is home to three interdisciplinary institutes that focus on investigative research on specific topics and areas of expertise. Lehigh and its partners invest in research institutes that excel at focused and multidisciplinary studies, working together to solve problems both locally and globally. We study, analyze, and develop knowledge in areas of health using collaboration and communication to help generate discoveries.
